Improved safety sliding-breech fire-arm



C. BARTUNG.

Breach-Loading Fire-Arm. No. 6,871. Patented Nov. 1.3, 1849.

ritiri-"Zivil v Nirn Prnrns Arnrwr Enron,

CHARLES HARTUNG, OF BEICHLINGEN, PRUSSIA, ASSIGNOR TO J. B. KLEIN.

HVIPROVED SAFETY SLlDlNG-BREECH FIRE-ARM.

ToaZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLns HARTUNG, of Beichlingen,`in the Kingdom of Prussia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the principle or character which distinguishes th ein from all other things before known, and of the manner of making, constructing, and using the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of my improvements as applied to a rifle; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section thereof; Fig. 3, a representation of the breech separated from the barrel.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

My improvements relate to that class of tirearms in which the charge is introduced at the breech of the barrel, and there conned by n means of a movable breech-pin.

The first part of my invention consists in adapting a sliding and turning breech-pin to a tube back of the barrel and in a line therewith, in which tube it can slide and turn for the purpose of inserting and confining the charge in the barrel.

The second part of my invention consists in fitting the movable turning and sliding breechpin to the breech of the barrel by means of a screw-thread on the end thereof and in the breech of the barrel.

The third part of my invention consists in making the breech-pin tube with an inclined face to act against a projecting part of the breech-pin to force the breech-pin into the breech of the barrel, and to act as an abutment to resist the force of the discharge.

The fourth part of my invention consists in locking the turning and sliding breech-pin, when inserted in the breech of the barrel, by means of a sliding bar,which prevents the said breech-pin from turning after the gun has been charged, whether this be used in combination with the screw-thread on the end of the breech-pin and the inclined face of the tube, in which the said breech-pin works, or either of them, or the equivalent of either or both of them.

The fifth part of my invention consists in Combining with the sliding breech-pin and the punch by which the load is discharged, or the carrier thereof, which slides in the breech-pin, a spring-catch to hold the punch back during the operation of charging the barrel, and this part of my invention also consists in combining this method of holding back the discharging-punch with the connection of the said punch or its carrier with the trigger, whereby the trigger can only act to liberate the discharging-punch after it has been liberated by the catch of the breech-pin.

The sixth part of my invention consists in combining the sliding bar which locks and unlocks the breech-pin with the catch of the breech-pin which locks and unlocks the discharging-punch, by means of which combination the two operations are effected by the same movement; and the last part of my invention consists in making cartridges with a solid cylinder of papier-mache or other equivalent substance, with a recess at the forward end for the bal-1, and one at the back to receive the priming, the same being so enveloped as to have the charge of powder back of the priming.

In the accompanying drawings, a represents the barrel of the gun enlarged at the breech to receive the end of the 'breech-pin b, which ts therein with a screw-thread, c, of such a pitch that about one-third of a turn of the said pin will insert or withdraw it. The body of this breech-pin is of greater diameter than the part which enters the barrel, and cylindrical, and this enlarged part is fitted to slide and turn in a cylindrical tube, d, in a line with and back of the barrel, and this tube has a long slot, e, made in it along its whole length and parallel with its axis, to which is fitted a projecting piece, f, of the breech-pin, by which it (the breech-pin) is guided when inserted from the rear end as well as when moved in and back during the operation of loading, the said breech-pin being operated by a handle, g. The forward end, h, of the tube d is in the form of a segment of a helix, so inclined that when the breech-pin is pushed forward after the cartridge has been inserted, and then turned to the right to secure it into the breech of the barrel, the rear shoulder of the projection f, acting on the said inclined end, will aid the thread in forcing in the breech-pin, and during the discharge will aid the screw-thread in resisting the recoil. j In this way the breechpin will be held firmly during the discharge of the piece.

The forward end of the breech-pin is hollowed out, as at fi, to form an air-chamber back of the cartridge, so that the air contained therein, when expanded bythe inflammation of the charge, may aid in forcing out the ball. In the center of this hollow part there is a projecting piece, j, pierced with a central hole, which extends entirely through the breechpin, to receive and guideasmall pointed steel rod or punch, 7c, by which the cartrid-ge is pierced to effect the discharge. The hole in the breech-pin is enlarged from about the middle of its length, and to this enlarged part of the hole is fitted `to slide freely but accurately the carrier Z of the discharging-punch 7c, and the said punch is fitted to the carrier in the following manner: The rod passes enti-rely through the carrier, and is provided with a head, m, at the back, and that part of -it which is within the carrier is of greater diameter, for the convenience of the constructer, and the rear .end thereof is tapped into the carrier, so that when screwed in place the-carrier and punch are one, as, in fact, they may be made of one piece of metal. The for-ward part, a, of alone of thecarrier fits the hole in the breechpin, the rest being of a reduced diameter, to receive a helical spring, 0, oneendof which abutsagainst the enlarged part n and the other against a collar, p, fitted to the rear end of the breech-pin, and through which the carrier slides. In this way `the tension of the said spring always tends to force the punch forward. The rear end ofthe carrier is provided with a disk, q, which is screwed thereon after the carrier has been passed through the helical spring and the collar p. The periphery of the said .disk slides freely in the tube d, and is for 4the purpose of catching onto the sear r of the vtrigger ls, which passes up into the said tube when held forward by its springt at the time the breech-pin is drawn back to insert the charge, and to hold-back the-carrier and punch while the helical spring is contracted tococ'k the pieceduring theoperation of forcing in the breech-pin preparatory -to the discharge. rIhe pull ofthe trigger disengages .the disk from the scar of the trigger, which permits the tension of the helicalspring to force forward the carrier with its punch, which penetrates the cartridge to effect the discharge.

The rear-end of the breech-pin for -a short distance is reduced in diameter, and is fitted to slide freely but accurately in a ring, u, litted to slide in the tubed, the said ring being placed therefore forward ofthe disk of the carrier. This ring is attached to a bar, c, which fits inthe slot of the tube, and which, when the breech-pin is forced home, 'and it (the bar) pushed forward, covers up the said slot. The forward end of this bar o is fitted to enter a recess, w, in the breech-pin, so that when the breech-pin has been forced forward into vthe barrel and the bar pushed forward in place it locks the breech-pin to prevent it from turning; hence the breech-pin during the discharge is prevented from moving back by the screw and the forward inclined face of the tube d, and' prevented from turning by the forward end of the bar, which lies in the recess described, and therefore it cannot by any ,Y

possibility yield to the force ofthe discharge.

There is a spring, zzz, fitted to a recess in the breech -pin, which spring has a projecting catch, 1, which passes through a hole to the inside of the breech-pin, so as to drop in forward of the carrier when it is drawn back, and there hold the carrier during the operation of loading, to prevent any accident by the ltouch of the trigger; but as it is necessary that the carrier and its punch should be entirely under the control of the trigger when the piece is lin readiness for a discharge, the parts are so arranged that by the act of locking the breech-pin by pushing forward the bar the carrier is relieved. For this purpose a part of the ring attached to the bar is formed with a curved or inclined face, as at e, to lift lup the spring x and draw up the catch, so that in pushing forward the bar to lock the breech the curved or inclined face z of the ring acts on and lifts up the spring, with its projecting catch, out of the way of the carrier, and th'ereby leaves it under the control of the trigger, the sear of which holds onto the disk of the carrier, in readiness to be liberated when the discharge is to be effected. The rear end of the tube d vis closed up with a cap-screw.

The cartridge is formed with a pointed ball, a', the rear end of which is beveled and fitted to a recess in the forward end of a cylinder,

b', made of papier-mache or other suitable substance, and fitted to the bore of the barrel. The rear end of this cylinder is cupformed, and in the bottom of the cup is put the priming, which may consist of any of the compounds which ignite by being struck by a pointed instrument. The compound whichI use for this purpose consists of chloride of potash, one and one-half ounce; antimonium, one ounce; sulphur, one-fourth ounce, and

-gum-arabic and water in sufficient lquantities to mix the compound and make it of the requisite consistency. This compound, however, is no part of my invention, and it is only given here to aid the making of my improved cartridge. rlhe cylinder and ball are then wrapped with paper c, the charge of lpowder inserted in the paper back of the priming, and the paper closed up, Ywhich completes it for use.

The manner of using my improved gun is as follows, viz-z The bar is drawn back Vuntil the carrier passes back of the spring-catch 1, and its disk back of the scar of the trigger. The breech-pin is then turned to the left and moved back, which leaves the breech of the barrel open for the insertion of a cartridge, which fit-s in freely, the breech of the barrel being enlarged for that purpose, as it is important that the cartridge should present sui'cient resistance to the punch for effecting the discharge. The breech-pin is pushed forward and screwed into place, and then locked by pushing forward the bar, which at the same time lifts up the spring-catch to liberate the carrier and allow its disk to rest against the trigger. In that condition the pull of the trigger will liberate the punch, which is forced forward by the ,tension of the helical or main spring, and passes through the charge of powder and ignites the priming in front thereof. This discharge forces out the cylinder of the cartridge, and with it the ball, which, in its passage through the barrel, is guided by the cylinder. The force ofthe discharge is increased by the expansion of the air contained in the chamber of the breech-pin back of the cartridge.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The method of locking the breech-pin, when inserted, to prevent it from turning, by means of the sliding bar, substantially as described, and this I also claim in combination with both or either of the methods of securing the breech-pin by the screw-thread and the inclined face of the breech-pin tube, substantially as described.

2. Combining with the sliding breech-pin and the discharging-punch which slides therein, or the carrier thereof, the spring-catch for 

